Reference recordings (in terms of quality): audiophile vinyl, CD, Hi-Res audio files, movies, concerts.

I have been in many exhibitions related to Hi-Fi and Home Cinema. The latest was last November (2016).

Each time I am wondering what the heck the exhibitors are using as a video or audio material to demonstrate their products.

OK, I understand that for small amps and speakers you need a program with minimum low end. For stupid set ups you need a program with stupid music, meaning stupid sounds of one guitar string sound at a time – most complex material will sound like a mess and will reveal that these machines are useless for music reproduction consisting of more than one note at a time.

But I have seen decent machines sounding not at their best because they are limited by the quality of the recording.

So here it comes: Some of my favorite recordings in terms of quality, the so called audiophile recordings. You can use this material in order to understand how good your system is or to demonstrate how good your system is. As always, the suggested material below is tested in mine and Panos' system in order to minimize the possibility that it just happens to sound good at one particular system.

I am not dogmatic about the media. If you ask me what the best media is (CD, High Res Audio file, Vinyl) I will answer it depends from the recording. For example, Dire Straits and Michael Jackson sound best at vinyl, not because vinyl is better but because for reasons I can’t know their production company manufactured the vinyl with a superior sound quality than the other digital media. But there is also the other side, listening to Amy Winehouse Back to Black vinyl (Island, Universal LC00407) is an insult for my ears in terms of audio quality.

Don't get this album of Amy, the sound is awful!

Generally speaking, I can say that vinyl and lossless High Res audio files are the king but I can’t determine who the winner is. To be honest, I can’t think how: how can I know that both a vinyl and a digital recording is at the highest possible quality and is played at equally perfect players so I can only judge which media (not the player, not the production) is better? You can find more about this issue at this interesting post.

A last word regarding audio quality: When I was younger, I was considering quality recordings the ones with deeper base and cleaner treble. It was the time that I could not even appreciate a good red wine just because it was at room temperature. Today, when I am talking about a good recording, I mean a recording that is clean and detailed but not harsh, has good energy in the base without sounding boomy and above all, it has a good sense of space. As a result, when I listen to a good recording with closed eyes I get calm and feel the music like I am right where the artist is performing.

Reference CDs:

- Madeline Peyroux – Bare Bones (DECCA LC 00171).

I have to start with this one. Up to now, this is the best sounding CD I have heard, absolutely spotless. It shows that CD sound quality can be very very high. It is so nicely detailed that it almost makes your Hi-Fi sound better than it really is. It forgives your equipment for not being perfect. It surrounds you (I should rather say it hugs you) with a soundstage wider and higher than what your speakers placement should allow. The sound is so nice and sweet like a lazy summer Sunday. HINT: In track 1 (Instead) at 0.36 à0.37 sec, watch out for something like a door bell ringing for just one time at your far left. The easier you spot this, the more detail revealing the sound of your system is. Last but not least, Madeline Peyroux has never disappointed me in any recording, they all sound good. (Update 2018: her last album "Anthem" is a little inferior in sound quality and definitely not to my taste of music). Let me dare to say that she sounds better at my or Panos system than what she sounded live in November 2011 at Athens Megaron Concert Hall – but this has to do with the concert hall set up at that day. If this CD does not sound good to your system, then you are in deep trouble.

- Clifford Jordan Quartet – Live at Ethell’s (Mapleshade MS 56292).

My personal preference is track 3 (‘Round Midnight). First of all, you got to listen to this performance and execution of ‘Round Midnight. Second, it is a live recording. Yes, it has a bit of hiss (noise) but these guys have managed to capture the liveliness of this Baltimore’s jazz club so well that I am amazed. Warning: In some systems the recording might at times sound a bit hard at the moments that the saxophone plays at its peak volume. Over the years I tend to believe that this is a sign of an analytical system, meaning that when this recording does not sound hard at all at a system, another recording can lose a little in 3D liveliness detail. Hint: At track 3 (‘Round Midnight) at 6:42 sec. you can hear at the background on the right an old printer printing probably the bill for a lucky guy who was there that night. You can notice other interesting details like sound from plates or people talking at the background. It all adds to the nice feeling of this live recording.

- Massive Attack – Heligoland (Virgin COV3070).

Hey, Christos, this is electronic music! - I can almost hear you whisper. Yes it is, dear reader. Here comes the story: Dimitris, a friend of mine who is aware of the capabilities of my system, brought me this CD as a present – he wanted to listen to this CD at my system in order to get all the energy that Massive Attack have put in this album. It turned out that this is a hell of an album. OK, with electronic music it is hard to evaluate a Hi-Fi system because you have no reference regarding how the original music initially sounds. I mean, you know how a piano or a guitar sounds like, so you can compare it when you listen to a piano or a guitar at your system. Evaluating a sound system with electronic music only is like evaluating the performance of a TV display with animation only. But this doesn’t mean that Heligoland doesn’t have an enormous 3D soundstage that at times sounds like you have surround speakers turned on. Listen to track 7 (Paradise Circus) for the enormous amounts of perfectly controlled low end energy this track has. I mean bass that after 1:55 sec. is climaxing and gradually starts to move your floor and sofa. This is a song that if you don’t have big amp and speakers you are missing 50% of its essence.

Reference vinyl records:

- Hugh Laurie - Didn't it rain (Warner LC14666)

Known as Dr. House from TV series House M.D., Mr. Laurie also sings and plays many musical instruments. Track no. 3 from side A (Kiss of fire) is my favorite. Towards the end of the song, the two singers – Hugh Laurie and Gaby Moreno - start singing simultaneously. At a good system you will be able to hear two discrete voices like two separate entities and not two voices mixed together at the same track. However, don’t get disappointed if you don’t. It is a hard job for your sound system.

- Stan Getz / João Gilberto Featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim ‎– Getz / Gilberto (Verve Reissues / Quality Record Pressings / Analogue Productions B0015625-01)

This is an excellent production, used at many of our tests. Extra care has been taken in preserving and transferring the master tape sound at this LP. The .iso file coming from the SACD is also excellent. You can read more about it at this post. Update: the sound of the CD is also excellent. The sound of any Analogue Productions album is excellent.

Reference Hi-Res audio files:

- Doug MacLeod - There's A Time (176kHz / 24bit FLAC - HDtracks)

Really good recordings are hard to find – and by really good I mean a recording that is completely flawless. This is one of them. It has a low end with perfect control. It has a high end with a lot of details, but never sounding harsh. It includes all the liveliness info so you think the artist is standing in front of you. This recording is a perfect vehicle, a vehicle that carries all the emotions of music. At the same time, it prooves the value of computer audio. Compliments to the producers and the sound engineers! Update: the sound of the CD is also excellent.

Reference Blu-Ray (BD) movies (apart from Avatar):

Tomorrowland is a movie produced by Disney. Disney has already proven with Tron: Legacy that it can do productions with top sound and picture quality. Tomorrowland’s picture quality is nothing less than amazing. The sound? Gentlemen, fasten your seatbelt. It is the only movie ever that has managed to trigger my mains supply protection at my home cinema. So, here comes the hint: At around 01:00:57, George Clooney is trying to get back in his house. He is close to his door and then… oops. My home cinema got dark and my neighbors thought that there was an earthquake. Sorry for not knowing the art number of this disk, I am not the owner of the BD.

Reference Blu-Ray (BD) music concerts:

- Sting - Live in Berlin (Deutsche Grammophon 06025 275 3098 7 GH)

Wow. W-o-w! I always wonder how come people that sell displays and projectors do not use this material for demo. Probably because they don’t know it exists. This production is amazing. The picture quality is amazing. I see it at my projector and it feels like I have upgraded the damn projector. I can’t understand how they did it. I mean, you have Sting singing with a bright spotlight behind him, wearing black jacket. The white light of the spotlight is pretty strong, but it is not burned or overexposed. His jacket is really black, but at the same time you can notice every shadow detail. It is dark, but you don’t see the usual digital noise. If the good old BD can perform so well provided you know your job and you throw to it a good recording, who cares about HDR? The sound is also superb. After watching this production, you will realize that BD and your equipment have a lot of juice to offer. Only if somebody is messing up with his work he needs 4K HDR in order to have some extra quality to throw away…

To be updated.